Bayer Leverkusen 1-3 Barcelona

Alexis Sanchez netted a brace as Barcelona gained the advantage in their Champions League last-16 tie with Bayer Leverkusen by recording a 3-1 win at the BayArena tonight.

The hosts adopted a defensive approach to counter the attacking threat posed by the Catalan giants and prevented them from creating any early chances.

However Leverkusen's resolve was broken shortly before the break when Sanchez applied the finish to Lionel Messi's chipped through ball.

Despite not troubling Barca stopper Victor Valdes once in the first half, the German outfit equalised courtesy of Michal Kadlec.

The full-back ghosted into the box to head in Vedran Corluka's cross and level the scores with 52 minutes played.

It took only three minutes for Barca to respond though. as Sanchez netted his second after latching onto Sergio Busquets pass.

Lionel Messi ensured a return to the Nou Camp with a comfortable two-goal lead when he converted from Daniel Alves's pass.

The return leg in Spain takes place on March 7.